


Previously Unknown Feelings

by BlackIris



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Comfort, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Late Night Conversations, Late at Night, Pre-Relationship, Tea, pre-relationship possibly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9667511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackIris/pseuds/BlackIris
Summary: Based on a dream I had blended with a thought I wanted to explore for a good long time: The idea that Bucky can feel things with his metal hand like he can with his flesh hand.  And as usual, Darcy is sweet and understanding of the seemingly weird people around her at any given time.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Un beta-ed, just a little drabble I suppose. Also, I was playing around with a new writing style. I've been reading more and more of Alan Furst's novels, and I LOVE how he does dialog. This is my attempt at something similar what I've read from him and a few other authors, so if it doesn't come off very well, I apologize. :/ 
> 
> Thank you to those who gave feed back! After rereading and rereading, I'm making a few edits. Hopefully it'll be better now!

Softly humming to herself, Darcy made her way downstairs. She didn’t bother with any lights along the way; she made this trek to the kitchen almost every night. Regardless of what was going on, good or bad, she’d always have a cup of tea, late at night, before going to sleep. More often than not, the kitchen light would be on and one or more of the team would be lurking around trying to clear their heads. 

As she rounded the last corner of the stairs, she saw the soft glow of the light over the stove, but no straggling persons in sight. Steve had developed a habit of leaving the light on for her, if he beat her to the kitchen. Darcy smiled fondly at her favorite mug on the counter next to a new bag of her favorite loose leaf tea, clearly left by Steve from earlier that night. He had, at one point, tried to get a small kettle for her room so that Darcy wouldn’t have to go down to the kitchen every night. She politely refused as she enjoyed the mini late night therapy sessions with the team that usually resulted in her trips. She told him that you never know when someone needs comfort and tea. At that, he no longer brought it up.

Tonight, she was alone in the kitchen, quietly making her tea and enjoying the calm of the night, when she heard it; a soft sigh. She stopped stirring her tea and slowly looked up into the darkened adjoining living room. Still unable to see anyone, she took a sip of her tea and waited. 

Tasha? No, she was on a mission. If it was Clint, she would have found him sitting on the counter or nursing a beer while playing darts. Thor was gone, again. In fact, almost everyone was gone. 

Leaving the small light on, she began to make her way back towards the stairs, when she saw the darkened figure hunched on the couch. 

"Buck?"

Silence.

"Buck? You alright?"

" ‘M fine, Darce. Just can’t sleep."

She slowly walked toward him. "It’s the arm again, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Is it like phantom limb syndrome?"

She sat on his left, as he held his metallic arm out in front of him, palm open and flexing slightly. 

"I guess. I mean, it is, but it isn’t. It has its own feeling. Like it’s me, but it’s not me." 

"Has anybody- can you feel anything with it?" 

She looked at him sincerely, trying to read if there was pain or fear etched on his features, the low light doing little to help her. 

"I feel everything, all the time. Cold. Hot. The sleeve of my shirt. I graze it along the wall, and feel the small bumps and cracks. It…tingles." 

"May I?" 

He nodded in response. 

She gently wrapped her hands around his still open palm. "You can feel this? The heat, the pressure?" 

He nodded, closing his eyes. "Yeah."

A small smile crossed her face as her thoughts continued to grow. She began massaging his palm softly. Moving to his wrist and forearm before moving up to his bicep where she paused. He seemed to be relaxing at her touch. "Can I keep going?" Another nod. She continued to his shoulder and focused on giving attention to both the metal and flesh parts of it. 

She sat up more, still rubbing, then stood up. Bucky’s head shot up, at her sudden movement to leave. He wasn’t ready for her to leave yet. 

"I’m not leaving you, Buck, don’t worry." 

She moved to stand directly in front of him, still holding his arm and settled with his knee between hers. She smiled softly at his confusion and tugged lightly on his arm allowing him to lean forward onto her as she continued to rub away his stress.

He sighed again. This time softer, happier, calmer as she continued to massage his metal arm as if it was the one he was born with. 

 

Unknown to either of them, Steve watched from just around the corner of the darkened stairs, smiling to himself. Darcy was right, you never knew who needed comfort. He was just happy that Bucky let her in on the secret that only he, Steve, and the doctors knew.

**Author's Note:**

> I learned about phantom limb syndrome in college and some of the mirror treatments that can sometimes help with the symptoms. Clearly, it's stuck with me since then. I'm not saying that what I'm alluding to in this writing is the same as the syndrome. But I'd like to imagine that at some point Bucky probably did have the phantom pains associated with it. Let me know what you think; this topic has been on my mind since he lost his arm.


End file.
